When little boys wear pink

A few years ago I wrote about an argument my husband and I had over a pair of children’s pink ski bib tops. My daughter had outgrown them and I figured we’d pass them onto our son, who was 5 at the time.

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Today, more boys are sporting pink.

My husband said, “Our son is NOT wearing those.” Pink was allowed in our San Francisco bubble of open-mindedness. He could have cared less when our son wore pink leggings to a birthday party in Noe Valley, but pink on the Tahoe slopes was outside his comfort zone.

I was irritated. I believe that we shouldn’t force gender stereotypes on children. We shouldn’t lock them into a gender cage, telling them that blue is only for boys and pink only for girls. If a boy wants to play with trucks, great. If he wants to play with Barbies, fine.

Today, a segment on Good Morning America suggested that my viewpoint is gaining steam. In the 21st century world our attitudes about gender stereotypes are changing–and even dads who have long told their sons to take off that tutu are slowly warming to the idea of boys wearing a girlish color.

And then there’s TLC’s controversial reality show Toddlers & Tiaras, which sheds light on the world of children’s beauty pageants. While the show is highly criticized for showing little girls wearing makeup (and getting their teeth bleached), it’s applauded for offering a peek into the world of pageants for young boys.

But what about dads? Are they becoming more accepting of boys sporting pink?

GMA brought together a group of fathers to answer that question and found that the traditional way of thinking is slowly evolving. Here are a few of their varied responses:

“I’d prefer my child to choose blue,” said one dad. “But if he wants to choose the pink shirt over the blue shirt, it’s up to him.”

“James’ wardrobe choices are pink, purple and chartreuse,” another dad chimed in. “And he does have a pink pair of cowboy boots. Got no problem with the pink shirt. “Pink tutu? Problem.”

“My son did wear a skirt sometimes to preschool, and we allowed that,” another father shared. “I struggled with my own comfort level with that. What I was really concerned about was that he’d get teased and not be accepted.”

My husband has come a long ways since our 2009 bib top argument. We’re in the midst of a Montana road trip and my son wanted to wear his sister’s purple shoes to a street fair in Bozeman. My husband didn’t say a thing and only smiled.